Banbury branch (LNWR) The Oxford & Bletchley Railway and the Buckingham & Brackley
Junction Railway were promoted by the local landowners Lord Verney and the
Marquess of Chndos. The two proposed lines were amalgamated as the
Buckinghamshire Railway and were built by the LNWR partly as a measure intended
to limit the extent of the GWR broad gauge. The railway reached Banbury on
1 May 1850. The Northampton & Banbury Junction Railway reached a junction
with the Banbury line at Cockley Wood on 11 June 1872. Freight services finally
ended in 1966 and the track was lifted in 1967. map, diagrs (plans) of stations,
facsimile of 1909 timetable. . Bill Simpson. (Branch Line
Notebook). Backtrack 1
106-13.

BawtryDetailed history of a wayside station and its immediate environs,
notably Bawtry viaduct. Located between Retford and Doncaster, the station
was opended on 4 September 1849. The buildings were designed by H. Goddard
of Lincoln and constructed by Peto & Betts. The station served a convalescent
home during WW1. It enjoyed fairly regular visits by the Royal family in
the Royal TRainj, mainly for race meetings at Doncaster, when they stayed
with Lord Scarborough at Sandbeck Hall (often en route to Balmoral). See
Backtrack: Scrooby and Bawtry. Jack
Smith.7- 313-21.

BurwartonTraffic, mainly that from Burwarton, on the Cleobury Mortimer &
Ditton Priors Railway/line. Conveyance of road stone from Titterston Clee
and Brown Clee Hills in Shropshire, some of which arrived by aerial ropeway.
Admiralty traffic during Worl War II, and eventual ownership of line by
Admiralty. Map, diagrams. Burwarton
revisited. William H. Smith. Backtrack, 5128-32.

Chipping Norton .Line from Banbury to Kingham originated as branch line to Chipping
Norton promoted by William Bliss, owner of a tweed mill, with
assistance from Sir Moreton Peto from junction with OW&WR at Kingham.
Opened 10 August 1855. Plans had been by John Fowler. Local company acquired
by OW&WR in 1859. There were several proposals for extension to Banbury,
but the successful one was surveyed by Edward Wilson. Construction started
in 1872, but the line was not opened until 6 April 1887. Notes on train services
including Newcastle to Cardiff express, extraction and carrying of ironstone,
opening of stations and halts, accidents during construction, retrenchment
and closure. The Banbury - Kingham branch.
Bill Simpson. [Branch Line Notebooks].Backtrack 2-11

Darlington:
North Road Locomotive Works. 125-9. Locomotives built during LNER and British Railways periods.illus. (b&w): W1 no 10000, the 'Hush-hush'; new D49 292 The
Southwold; first Gresley class built at Darlington; pioneer Darlington-built
B17 2810 Honingham Hall; first V2 no 4776 under construction; V2 4831
in the yard having its boiler filled for the first time; Darlington built
locomotives: A8 4-6-2 T No 2162; Peppercorn Pacific 60130; pioneer B1 8301
Springbok; first Darlington 8F 2-8-0; 4MT 2-6-0 43070; Darlington's
first Diesel shunter 12103; The last to be built at Darlington was 2-6-2;
Darlington erecting shop with A4 60024, 8F 48272 and J27 65788.
Ken Hoole. North Road Locomotive Works,
Darlington. BT 1-125 and Personal memories
of relatives at Works in post-WW2 period (Pattison).

Delph branch. Michael & Peter Fox. 81-8.A branch to Delph was included in Huddersfield & Manchester Railway
and Canal Company authorises in 1845, but the branch was not built until
James Lees of Delph pressed LNWR for its construction. It was opened in September
1851. There is no documentary evidence to support horse traction which has
been assumed was the source of the "Delph Donkey". On 4 July 1856 the Greenfield
to Oldham line was opened and Oldham was the normal starting point for Delph
trains. There were train cuts in the 1880s, but these were reinstated following
pressure from customers. The Temperance Union ran trips to Delph: 800 school
children were taken there from Oldham in July 1898. Stone and shale was conveyed
from Ladcastle Quarries. Mixed trains were run. Traffic increased during
the construction of Castleshaw Reservoirs whichwere served by a railway from
Delph station. Steam railmotor 5507 was tried in July 1910. In 1912 halts
were opened at Moorgate (on the mainline, but only served by branch trains)
and at Dobcross. The train service was expanded to serve these halts.
Measurements Halt opened on 18 May 1932 to serve a factory making meters.
The authors note that following start of WW2 "excursion traffic never to
return" this is not quite true as Oldham Boy Scouts used to arrive at Moorgate
and required an extra pair of coaches to accommodate during the 1949-1954
period. Passenger services ceased on 30 April 1955 and freight (coal) on
4 November 1963. During the period 1949 to 1954 passenger traffic was virtually
zero other than for the two trains which served Measurements. Includes map
& plans: b&w illus. by J. Davenport of 41280; 84010; 40047; 40057
(both in 1952) and 40060 still lettered LMS including one of driver picking
up tablet from signalman Bill Hobson at Delph J, also coal tank 3287 at
Greenfield in 1915. illus.: A view of the Delph branch at the turn of the
century; Delph station as shown on the rating map; A Peckett 0-6-0 ST at
the Castleshaw reservoir site in the late 1880s; An excursion handbill 1897;
A map of the Delph branch; LNW 0-6-2 'Coal' tank 3287 on a push-pull working
at Greenfield; The steam rail-motor as used on the branch seen at Lees depot
Oldham; Fowler 2-6-2T 40060 and train at Moorgate Halt; The driver of Fowler
2-6-2T 40060 takes the branch tablet c1950; Fowler 2-6-2T pushing the Oldham
train off the branch; 40059 at the buffer stops at Delph; Ticket samples
of the Delph branch; 40047 on the main line just north of Greenfield about
to call at Moorgate; 84010 pushes a train near Dobcross; Dobcross Halt; Ivatt
2-6-2T 41280 leaving the Stalybridge-Huddersfield line; NB anyone
requiring information about this branch should contact Kevin Jones as he
was a regular watcher of this service and sometimes pulled off the levers
when Bill Hobson was on duty at Delph Junction! The questionned Sunday
services did run. Further information (3-142)

DidcotJunction for branch to Oxford opened on 12 June 1844. Cites Ernest
Simmons Memories of a Stationmaster (1879). In 1850 the line from
Oxfod was extended to Banbury and it reached Birmingham in 1852 when mixed
gauge operation began. Train service development is described. The Didcot,
Newbury and Southampton reached Newbury in 1882 and Winchester in 1889. During
WW2 this line gathered strategic importance and much was doubled and rebuilt
for heavier lcomotives. The station was rebuilt in 1883 and the Western loop
was opened in 1886. A provender store was opened in 1884 to provide for GWR
railway horses. There was a serious fire at the station on 11 March 1886.
Duiring WW1 an ordnance depot was opened - this closed in the 1960s. A new
engine shed was opened in 1932. The
Great Western at Didcot. L.A. Summers.Backtrack9, 145-51.

The Easingwold Railway. Stanley C. Jenkins and Chris
Turner, BRJ 67, 53-82.Easingwold Railway Bill passed on 23 August 1887 and opened on 27
July 1891. It remained independent in 1923, closed to passeneger traffic
on 29 November 1948 and to freight on 27 December 1957. Copious illustrations,
including Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST Easingwold and No. 2 (also Hudswell Clarke)
and of the many NER/LNER light 0-6-0Ts which were hired to work
traffic.

Faringdon branch.Opened 1 June 1864 by Faringdon Railway Company from Uffington J with
GWR. Originally broad gauge. Robert Tertius Campbell, a local squire was
a leading figure. Contactor was a Mr Lewis of Carmarthen; Malachi Bartlett
of Witney built the stations; Captain Rich inspected. Line taken over by
GWR in 1886. B&w illus. include 4651 on mixed train. Maps, timetables.
Some notes on the Faringdon branch. Stanley
C. Jenkins. Backtrack 5 225-31.

Helston branch.The Helston & Penrhyn Junction Railway (14 July 1864) lapsed into
oblivion with the failure of Overend & Gurney. The Helston Railway Bill
received the Royal Assent on 9 July 1880 for a line from Gwinear Road. On
5 February the GWR agreed to work the line which opened on 6 May 1887: it
was absorbed by the GWR in 1898. Plans had been to extend to The Lizard,
but these came to nought and bus services were developed instead. Freight
and passenger services are described. The development of a Royal Naval Air
Station during WW2 brought extra business, and for a time the line was patrolled
by an armoured train headed by an F4 ex-GER 2-4-2T. Passenger services ceased
on 3 Novemebr 1962 and freight in 1964. maps & plans: b&w
The Helston branch. Stanley C.
Jenkins. Backtrack 3, 206-12.

Killin The Killin Railway Company, independent until the Grouping, was financed
largely by the Marquis of Breadalbane & Holland and was constructed to
connect the steamer service on Loch Tay with the Callander & Oban Railway.
The main engineering feature was Dochart viaduct which was built of concrete.
The line was built with a Board of Trade Certificate and was eventually inspected
by Major Marindin. The line opened on 13 March 1886. The contractors, who
hopelessly underestimated the cost were A. & K. MacDonald of Skye. Special
Drummond 0-4-2ST locomotives (262 and 263) were sent to work the line but
were not suitable. The line closed on 27 September 1965. Letter from John
Macnab concerning landowner and line (Vol. 15 page
58). Killin village railway.
Michael S. Elton.Backtrack, 14, 624-32.

Kingham Junction for branches to Chipping Norton and Bourton-on-the-Water.
There were gradual changes in motive power: from Stars to Castles, and from
Metro tanks to the 48XX class. The list of daily routines, such as the opening
up of the station, the handling of milk churns, etc is described. A table
shows the train formations, motive power, etc of trains
passing/stopping/departing at Kingham in September 1936. Includes notes on
cattle traffic, handling racing pigeons, agricultural machinery from Lainchbury
& Son, sugar beet (for Kidderminster) and coal merchants.
See Kingham in the 1930s. Chris Turner.
GWRJ, 2001, 34, 62-87.

Lancaster (Green Ayre)In 1846 two Acts of Parliament were granted: the Morecambe Harbour
& Railway Company for a harbour at Poulton which reached St George's
Quay Lancaster on 12 June 1848, and the North Western Railway from Skipton
to Low Gill with a branch to Lancaster. In October 1846 the North Western
took over the Morecambe line, but the two were not conected until June 1850,
by which time a connecting line had been built to the Lancaster & Carlisle
Station. The Midland acquired the North Western in January 1871 and rebuilt
Lancaster Green Ayre (sometimes known as Area). The line linking Morecambe
with Lancaster was electrified at 6600 volts 25 cycle AC in 1906 and was
later used by British Railways for trials at high voltage. All was closed
in 1966 and much of the station site is a supermarket. V.R. Anderson and
G.K. Fox. Backtrack 1-130. and
See also letter by Crane p. 188.

MaidenheadOn June 1838 the Great Western Railway reached the Thames and
erected a station named "Maidenhead" on the eastern bank to the west of the
prsent Taplow station. The Wycombe Railway opened in August 1854 and a station
more convenient for Maidenhead's town centre was opened on the branch at
Castle Hill, but Bradshaw termed this Boyn Hill. In 1861 mixed gauge reached
Reading and in 1871/2 a new station was built near to the junction for the
Wycombe branch on the southern outskirts of the town and this took the name
Maidenhead. Boyn Hill closed and the old Maidenhead station became Taplow
which was eventually moved further east. The Wycombe line became standard
gauge in 1870. Quadrupling led to another new station in 1891. The train
services for the summers of 1914 and 1934 are analysed. Some down expresses
stopped at Maidenhead. Freight activity is described.
See GWRJ, 2001, (36) p. 183,.

Meltham branch.Constructed under an L&YR Act of 7 June 1861. The first sod was
cut on 4 April 1864. Opening was hindered by a rock fall in Netherton
Tunnel on 19 August 1865 and by landslips at several places, notably in 1868
when opening was further delayed: large retaining walls had to be constructed.
Col. Yolland inspected the line in May/June 1869 and it was opened on 5 July
1869. A key customer of the line was Meltham Mills (cotton) which had been
taken over by Coates before its closure in 1934, but David Brown took the
mills over and started gearbox production which was vital for aircraft production
during WW2. Passenger services were withdrawn on 21 May 1949, but freight
remained heavy to David Brown's and to the Meltham Silica Brick Co. Despite
protests from David Brown the line closed on 5 April 1965.
Meltham branch. Alan Earnshaw. [Branch
Line Notebook].Backtrack 159-64. New
LMS Journal (1, 42) has
a concise feature on this branch

The Newcastle Emlyn Branch. Stanley C.
Jenkins and Chris Turner . 242-82.Great North & South Wales & Worcester Railway had been schemed
during railway mania. The South Wales Railway had been formed in 1844
(see Backtrack 15 page 78
for feature by Awdry) and had reached Carmarthen on 11 October 1852.
The Carmarthen & Cardigan Railway was incorporated in 1854 and reached
Conwil on 3 September 1860; Llanpumpsaint on 28 March 1864, and Llandyssil
on 3 June 1864. From thence to Cardigan had to be abandoned due to lack of
finance. The Manchester & Milford Haven Railway had been formed on
23 July 1860 with the aim of constructing a line from Pencader (having obtained
running powers over the Carmarthen & Cardigan Railway) to Llanidloes
on the Central Wales Railway. A line opened from Pencader to Strata Florida
in 1866 and this was extended to Aberystwyth in 1867. Work had statrted at
the Llanidloes end but was abandoned. In 1873 a line opened from Whitland
to Glogue and this was extended to Cardigan on 1 September 1886. The GWR
took over the Carmarthen & Cardigan from 1 July 1881 and extended the
original line to Newcastle Emlyn reached on 1 July 1895. There was a short
tunnel near Henllan. The line was worked mainly as a branch from Pencader.
The traffic from each station (Newcastle Emyln, Henllan and Llandyssul) is
described, both passenger and freight. Passenger services ended on 16 September
1952 and the line closed to all traffic at the end of September 1973. A short
"preserved" railway on 2 ft gauge operates near Henllan. Many of the
illustrations were taken during the period after the end of passenger traffic.
Illustrations include 5819 on shed at Newcastle Emlyn (W.A. Camwell);
petrol traffic at Henllan, Pentrecourt Halt on 13 September 1952, and 1472
with former slip coach W7999 (still in GWR livery) at Newcastle Emlyn on
30 July 1951 (R.C. Riley). Ordnance Survey 25 inch plan (1906) of Newcastle
Emlyn. Great Western Railway Journal, (37).

Northallerton..History back to Great North of England days. Station was opened in
1841. Station was designed by Benjamin Green. The Leeds Northern Railway
opened a separate station in 1848. Includes notes on the Hawes
branch.Northallerton. Chris
Davies. Backtrack 5 196-203.

Portreath branch.The branch was opened in 1838 by the Hayle Railway Company and ceased
to operate in 1931/2. The line featured a steep engine-worked incline down
to the Harbour where there are still extensive remains. Although the harbour's
history is covered at length the only mention of the Poldice Tramway (opened
in 1809?) is as part of the account of the harbour: substantial remains of
this tramway are still evident, including its stone blocks. Centre pages
show harbour in 1935. Several reproductions from Ordnance Survey plans of
1906. Illus. include the incline, the harbour in 1850 and 1860; 0-6-0ST 1714
probably on Roskear branch; 1799 at Carn Brea; shed at Carn Brea; Illogan
Highway in 1904 with electric tramcar; engine house in 1934.
The Portreath branch. Roger S. Carpenter.
British Railway Journal, 1990 (33), 135-7.Coals to Portreath.
Clive Carter. Archive, Issue
#1, 55-64.

Southwell Motor train (push & pull) working between Rolleston Junction and
Southwell as told by former fireman with additional notes from the late Clarence
(Charlie) Royston Marriott who also worked at Southwell. He had started work
as a number taker at Newark and then became a road motor vehicle driver employed
at Southwell from 1932. He participated in the activities of the Midland
Railway Sports Club and noted that a mechanical permanent way trolley was
employed prior to WW2. An extra coach was used on race days. An LMS bus was
employed on the Mansfield to Newark route when passenger train services were
withdrawn in 1929.

Wellington (Salop). Both the L&B and GJR proposed railways to Shrewsbury, the former
via Dudley and Wolverhampton, the latter from Wolverhampton. The Shrewsbury
and Birmingham Act was passed on 3 August 1846. In 1847 the Shropshire Union
Act enabled Wellington to be connected with Stafford. On the S&BR Oakengates
Tunnel was built to broad gauge dimensions to link qith the OW&WR. The
S&BR was inspected by the BoT on 2 May 1849 and it opened from Shrewsbury
as far as Wellington on 1 June, the remainder following on 12 November. The
reader will have to look elsewhere for the battles between the LNWR and GWR
to control this railway, but the latter had made a traffic agreement in January
1851 and amalgamation followed on 7 August 1854. Wellington Station was operated
by a LNWR/GWR Joint Committee. The LNWR had purchased the Shropshire Union
Canal and converted parts of it to link Wellinton with Coalport far below
on the Severn. The Wellington & Severn Junction Railway and its extensions
also enabled the Severn to be reached, and crossed by the Albert Edward Bridge,
through the industrialized area of Ketley, Horsehay and Coalbrookdale, and
on to Much Wenlock to Craven Arms. Wellington was linked to Market Drayton
in 16 October 1867 and this gave the GWR access to Crewe. Wellington has
become a part of Telford and the station remains in existence. The station
area is shown on extracts from the Ordnance Survey plan published in 1937.
GWR freight included coal handled by John Gough, for the gas works (including
outwards traffic of tar to a distillation plant at Welshpool and gas water
sent to Oakengates. Smithfield market took place on Mondays where auctions
were conducted by Barbers and petrol for Shell. The LMS Queen Street yard
handled outwards traffic of toys, Sankey's Iron & Steel castings, damsons
and an inwards flow of Guinness, spelter, steel billets. Merchants for fruit,
vegatables, timber and coal are described as is parcels traffic. See
William H Smith & Chris Turner. Great
Western Railway Journal, 2000, 33, 2-35.

Wells (Somerset) The first railway to reach approach Wells was the Somerset Central
Railway which connected Glastonbury to Highbridge: it was broad gauge and
opened on 28 August 1854. The Quaker shoemaker, James Clark, was closely
involved. The line was extended to Wells on 3 March 1859. The East Somerset
Railway was authorized on 5 June 1856 to link Witam with Shepton Mallet,
and on 27 July 1857 an extension to Wells was authorized. It reached Shepton
Mallet on 9 November 1858 and Wells on 28 February 1862. The third railway
to reach Wells was the Cheddar Valley & Yatton, with an Act of 14 July
1864, and opened to Wells on 5 April 1870. The Somerset Central became a
part of the Somerset & Dorset and eventually part of the MR/LSWR Joint
Railway. The other lines became part of the GWR. All eventually closed.
Railways of Wells. K.A.
Frost. 70-5.

YarmouthFrom October 1902 the Leicesters ran all the year through to Birmingham.
From 1902 the GER/GCR ran services from the East Coast to destinations in
the Midlands and North. In 1913 there were 1000 fishing vessels based at
Yarmouth. The herring industry was worth £1m and 4000 workers travelled
down from Scotland to serve the herring industry. Between 1904 and 1914 there
were non-stop trains between South Town and Liverpool Street. Between the
Wars the Eastern Belle Pullman service reached Yarmouth on the days on which
it ran.. The growth of holiday camps on the M&GN line and on the Norflk
& Suffolk Joint brought fresh traffic to places like Caister and Hopton:
in the case of the former, especially from the Midlands and North. During
WW2 theres was severe damage to South Town, Vauxhall and Gorleston North
stations. There was a brief Indian summer of traffic in the immediate post-WW2
period, but Breydon Viaduct closed on 21 September 1953 - in the year when
the East Coast floods had caused severe interuption at both Yarmouth and
Lowestoft. The M&GN lines closed on 28 February 1959; the line from Beccles
to South Town on 2 November 1959, but the N&SJ was strengthened to take
the diverted traffic. Vauxhall was reconstructed between 1958 and 1961. On
4 May 1970 the N&SJ line was closed. The herring industry ceased in the
mid-1960s. The street tramway closed on 1 January 1976 and all freight traffic
ceased in March 1985. In 1984 the line from Reedham to Yarmouth was proposed
for closure, but the local authorities stepped in to defray the cost. The
A47 by-pass (now a linear car-park due to Tesco's activities) used the former
formation across Breydon Water. There are still London to Yarmouth trains
in summer. The Railways of Yarmouth. K.A. Frost. Backtrack.
Part 1. 9-260. and
Part 2 (9-292)